The office is buzzing a bit today as we get ourselves ready for a new video shoot starting tomorrow. We will be working on the video portion of an interactive version of By This Name. I’m pretty excited about this project! By This Name is one of our three main evangelism books for adults, but we currently only have a workbook for it. By comparison, our older book, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, has quite a few derivative books and resources: an audio book (either CD or a free MP3 version), a full 12 hour video version, an interactive version, large print,  workbook, and soon will have a teachers guide.

By This Name is the book we now use in all our evangelism seminars and is the book we recommend most, so I am quite happy to get started on adding new resources built around it for people to use in their evangelism and discipleship Bible studies.

An interactive version of the book will feature a DVD in the back that can be viewed to help explain more difficult parts of the book.

A sample from The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus Interactive book.

When someone comes to one of the video sections in the book, an icon informs them that there is a video segment they can watch to help explain that section or provide supplemental information. Having an interactive version of By This Name will open up new opportunities for teachers and individuals using this book, and is also a vital component to eventually creating a Teachers Guide.

As we ramp up for the video shoot, we will be pulling staff from around our office out of their regular duties to help. We will be having camera operators, people recording time codes, someone operating the teleprompter, audio person, etc. This project could take a couple months as we shoot a bit of video each week. Please pray for our staff, and especially John Cross (who we will be taping), as we start this video project and move it forward to completion.

Thank you,

Troy & Naomi

It was a very, very busy three and a half weeks!

Naomi and I (along with the kids) are finally settling back into routines after being away for 24 days. Originally, the trip was supposed to be three separate trips, but they all got thrown into one, monster journey. Three different purposes also meant a lot more luggage! Occasionally someone would call it vacation… that always made me laugh.
September 2-12:
We flew to New Brunswick, my old stomping grounds, for my sister’s wedding and to visit family, friends, supporters. I also spoke at three churches. This time was too short to do all we wanted and to visit everyone, but we were thankful for the chance to do what we could in a short period.

September 12-16:

I traveled to Ontario where I met up with some of our other staff to video tape a testimonial video. The video records the salvation story of Michael, who was introduced to his Saviour through a Bible study using The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus.

The video crew

During this time, Naomi and the kids stayed in New Brunswick, taking a bit more time to slow down and visit with family.

September 16-18:

Our family reunited at the Toronto airport and we had a fun weekend of visiting friends in Stouffville, Ontario and a Ratcliff family reunion. We also had a chance to attend a supporting church in the area.

September 18-26:

Off to Owen Sound, Ontario to help teach a worldview evangelism seminar at the Word of Life Bible Institute where Naomi and I used to work. It was a very busy week of teaching, but we also got to visit many friends in the area and give an update at the church we attended when we had lived there.

Some feedback from the students:

“[the evangelism seminar] has taught me some great techniques for sharing the Gospel, and has shown me the importance of laying a good foundation with the Old Testament so people understand why Christ had to die. The visual aids are also a great idea in terms of clarifying things, especially for visual learners.”

“The study helped me connect concepts with a better understanding than I had before. It also gave me a better foundation for my belief by helping me make those connections. I may not be very good at expressing my faith in words, but the study has helped me to give structure to how I share it.”

“This has been very beneficial to me! I have learned a lot that I didn’t know before. I think I could now help answer unbeievers questions about God, life and death, and life after death! With being a fairly new believer, I found this super informative!”

“It has shown me a really good way to share the Gospel with those who doubt the Christian faith.”

September 26: Home!

After all our travels, the kids (and us) were very happy to finally be home. Adelaine went straight to her room and grabbed up some stuffed animals on her bed and just kept saying “I love this place! I love this place!” Ellie said that even though she often wishes she could live in different places, it really was special to come home. Ethan went right for his trains.

Overall the kids did well on the trip, but they were very tired (and so were we!). A big thank you to those who hosted us and helped us along the way. Though it was hectic, it was a blessing to fellowship with other believers and visit friends and family.

Life doesn’t slow down now that we are back. Ellie and Adelaine are now getting going in school, and I have a ton of video to capture and edit!

I thought things were supposed to slow down in summer?

We continue to be quite busy both at home and at GoodSeed. Here are a few of the things happening:

The trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo was a success. After the team returned I started to go through their video and edited together a short report from their trip about some opportunities that GoodSeed has to minister in that country. You can see the video here or view it  and some of the report at www.goodseed.com/congo

Naomi has been very busy helping organize our annual staff Bible Camp later this month, a time for our staff to travel from around the world for solid Bible teaching and fellowship. This year will have our largest attendance, so there are many more details to work out!

We are gearing up for a number of events this Fall.

• Just after Bible camp our family will be traveling to New Brunswick for my sister’s wedding. While it is a short trip, we do hope to visit with supporters and friends.
• I will then be flying to Ontario with a ton of video gear to shoot a new testimony video for some upcoming projects. This is a pretty big deal, so please pray for our team as we work on this that it will go smoothly and be used by the Lord.
• Naomi and the kids will then join me in Ontario and we will visit our old stomping grounds at Word of Life as I help teach an evangelism seminar to the students and visit friends and supporters in the area.
• A trip that we had planned to India for the Fall has now been pushed back to spring 2012, and will now include a number of Asian countries. Please pray for this trip as it comes together, and that GoodSeed would have the finances to make it happen.

Naomi and I are also discovering how much work it is to maintain a home.  There is, of course, a never ending list of jobs to do, especially on an older home. There is much to do, but we are also taking time to enjoy the yard with the kids and take in an Albertan summer.

We did manage to get away for a weekend camping trip to the Crowsnest Pass area with some family. It was really nice, even though we hardly slept. Something about a train being just across the river from our campsite… Anyway, good memories with the kids.
Scenes from Summer (so far):

The last month or so has been a very busy one around GoodSeed.

• I went on a trip down south, where I joined 92,000 others for a media trade show. I was there checking out all the latest equipment and software for all stages of video and broadcast production, all while trying to remember “Do not covet”.
• Preparations continue for a trip for some of our staff to the Democratic Republic of the Congo next week. I have spent quite a bit of time (and money) researching and purchasing video and audio equipment for them to take.
• Naomi and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary!
• Our whole team here was involved in hosting a 3 day evangelism seminar. For myself, I assisted in the teaching as well as overseeing videotaping some of the sessions.
  

  
  

  

  

  

• This seminar was immediately followed by recording and editing a message by one of our missionaries as he recounted the last year and his battle with cancer, and God’s grace through it all (you can view it online here).
  
• We sure do enjoy having a dedicated studio now. Last week we shot a series of photos for an upcoming book. This, as always, took a team to pull off. John found an elderly gentleman to be our model, and then he and a few ladies came up with the wardrobe, Steve helped us get everything setup, and I worked the lighting and camera equipment. We had a lot of fun, and I look forward to the book being finished in a few years.
  
• At home, we are enjoying the retreat of the glaciers to rediscover the backyard and the many projects to do now that we own a house. I’m very glad for all the tools I purchased during the office construction project last year. Naomi is busy getting the gardens set and researching for starting Ellie in home-schooling next year.
  
  

Please pray for us as we continue these and many other projects at home and at GoodSeed as we create evangelism tools to get God’s Good News out there.